MANAGER Phil Brown admits that Michael Doughty is no closer to featuring for Swindon Town as he continues to struggle with a hip injury.

Former Peterborough United midfielder Doughty has been sidelined for three weeks, last featuring in Town’s 1-0 win over Newport County in the Checkatrade Trophy on September 11.

Brown’s troops tackle Crewe Alexandra tomorrow night but the Town boss says Doughty will not be available for selection and won’t be for some time.

“Unfortunately, I think he will be out for a little bit longer than we first thought,” said Brown.

“He still has discomfort in his final movement and when I say final movement, I mean when he breaks into a sprint.

“My understanding is there is something of a growth near the hip bone, or inside that joint and it’s causing him a lot of discomfort.

“This has all come from contact. I don’t know whether contact has hit the hip alignment out, I have no idea – I’m not that kind of manager.

“I just know he’s not 100 per cent fit and he’s running with a lot of discomfort, so, until that changes Michael isn’t going to be available.”

When quizzed on whether he think’s Doughty’s absence could morph into a long-term problem, Brown was unsure but hopeful that the 26-year-old would return sooner rather than later.

“I’m hoping we won’t lose him for a little while because of the goalscoring prowess and the creativity of Michael is something that I could apportion to the lack of creativity on Saturday,” he added.

“It’s wrong for me to say lack of creativity because it is the final pass, we are getting to the final third and it is something we do at great ease.

“We just need to convert that final third pass into a clear-cut chance.”

Elsewhere, defender Chris Robertson and striker Kaiyne Woolery will both have trained at the end of the week - Woolery managed to train on Monday - while Robertson is expected to take part on Thursday.

Striker Scott Twine was also absent for Saturday’s 0-0 draw at the Energy Check County Ground, but should be okay to feature in Cheshire.

Right-back Kyle Knoyle is available for selection after serving his three-game ban, while Matt Taylor is suspended for one match following his late red card against Oldham on Saturday..